


Another Part Of Me

by KittyBooBoo



Category: Pitch (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate History, Angst, Best Friends, F/M, Family Secrets, Friendship, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-12 18:12:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9083755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyBooBoo/pseuds/KittyBooBoo
Summary: When Ginny was 15, her best friend of 5 years moved away.  Six months before Ginny’s called up to join the Padres, they reconnect.  A month in with the Padres, Ginny has a lot going on.  She's still trying to find her place with the team.  She thinks...maybe...she's falling for Mike, who happens to be her captain and batterymate.  She finds out he sleeping with her agent.  An indiscretion from her past might come back to bite her in the ass.  And on top of everything else, a possible Baker family secret may soon be exposed.  Her renewed friendship and relationship with the Sanders family may be her only port in the storm called her life.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not the biggest baseball fan, but this show and fandom quickly became a favorite of mine. I want to thank all the writers who have shared their talent and provided hours of reading pleasure. I haven't written in awhile, but all of these wonderful stories inspired me. It's my first effort in this fandom. Hopefully, it won't be my last.
> 
> All mistakes are mine.

 

 

_10:30PM_

_He’s sleeping with Amelia…_

_11:17PM:_

_What the fuck?! Sorry. Just got your text. Had an emergency meeting._

_Are you sure?_

_11:20PM:_

_S'Okay._

_I saw them earlier today._

_They looked…cozy. Familiar._

_Amelia confirmed it a little while later._

_11:22PM:_

_Did you talk to him? What did he say?_

_11:24PM:_

_He called. I didn’t answer. I don’t…_

_I don’t know how I feel._

_How am I_ _supposed to feel????_

_11:26PM:_

_Upset. Hurt.  Maybe…d_ _isappointed and a little betrayed?_

_11:27PM:_

_I think…all of the above._

_11:28PM:_

_You want me to kick his ass. Hers?_

_I can be on the next flight out._

_11:30PM:_

_Yes. No. Sigh…I’m just tired._

_11:33PM:_

_I get it. I do._

_11:40PM:_

_You still there?_

_11:41PM:_

_Yeah. I just…need to go to sleep._

_I have an early morning._

_11:44PM:_

_Okay. I’m sorry, sweetie.  I know you were starting to feel...things._

_11:46PM:_

_Yeah, me too._

_11:47PM:_

_Love you. Call me in the morning._

_11:48PM:_

_OK.  Love you too._

 

  

The next morning, Ginny dragged herself out of bed.  Getting a look at the clock, she groaned.  "Great."  She's was running late.  Rushing through her morning routine, she was out the door and on her way to Petco in fifteen minutes later.

“Hey, Rookie.” Mike called out.  He’d gotten to the clubhouse early so he could speak with her before the team started arriving.  Amelia told him the night before that she spoke about the conversation she had with Baker regarding their whatever the hell it was they were doing.  According to her, Baker took it fine.  The ignored calls and texts said something different.

Ginny glanced in his direction and heard his groan when he stood up.  “Lawson.” she replied, but didn’t stop or slow down as she made her way to the training room.

Entering, she dropped her bag and unzipped her jacket. 

“What’s the matter, Baker?  You wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” Mike jokingly asked then inwardly groaned. _Shit, the last thing she needs to think is that I’m making a joke of the Amelia th_ _ing._

She turned a blank look in his direction.  Before she could answer, the theme music to the Super Mario Bros. video game started playing from her phone.  She blindly took it from her pocket.  Accepting the call, she brought the phone to her ear.

 

 

“I’ll call you right back.”

_“Just checking on you.”_

“Could be better.  Call you back in 5.” Ginny replied.

" _Okay.”_

 

 

Mike kept his gaze on her while she spoke.  He couldn’t help but wonder who was on the other end of the phone call.  It wasn’t the first time he heard that particular ring tone nor how her tone softened when she spoke to whoever it was.  He stopped himself from thinking too hard about why that bothered him.

“What do you want, Lawson?”

“You accepting that call answers my first question.  I thought maybe your phone wasn’t working since I didn't hear back from you last night.”

Ginny remains quiet waiting from him to continue.

Mike sighed. “Listen, Baker.  Amelia told me—“

“Stop.” Ginny interrupted. “Look…it bothers me that you didn’t tell me. You’re my captain, my catcher.  She’s my agent.”

“…”

“Why you would think it was a good idea to screw my agent instead of all the other women available to you, I don’t know.  But…you’re adults, right?  And really, who am I to question your life choices.  All I ask is that I don't become topic of discussion during your pillow talk.  My relationship with Amelia and the one I have with you is completely separate.”

“Baker, I would never—“ he began.

“How did you know about the poster on my wall?” she finished.

Mike drug his fingers through his beard in quiet contemplation.  He knew she was right.  He stepped over an invisible line.  It didn’t matter why he did it, just that he did.  Crossing his arms over his chest, he let out a deep sigh.  “You’re right. But—that was a one time thing.  We don’t talk about you like that.  I thought you should be told, she didn’t agree.  She mentioned the poster.”

She didn’t like it, but she also didn’t want to drown in negative energy either.  “And the lesson of the day is…?” she asked sarcastically.

His eyes narrowed in thought “Uh, don’t sleep with my rookie’s agent?”

Ginny rolled her eyes.  “You’re an asshole.”

“But I’m your asshole.” he said with a smirk.  He sees something flash in her eyes, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared.

She snorted.  “Whatever. Just—don’t treat me like a child. I didn’t need to know details, but something like that…yeah, I don’t like to be blindsided.  And seeing you two in a corner having eye sex was not the way I should have found out.”

Mike nodded his agreement. “You're right.  I’m sorry, rookie.  I should have told you.”

Ginny nodded back. “Okay.”

“We’re good?” he asked.

“We’re good.” she replied.

They stood in silence for several long seconds before she cleared her throat.  “Okay, well.  I have to return a call before I start my workout.”

He could have taken that as he was sure she meant it and gave her some privacy, but nope.  He walked around her toward the treadmills and started stretching.

Ginny shook her head while moving toward the weights on the other side of the room.  Once there, she made her call.

 

 

It rang once before it was answered.

_"Hey.”_

“Hey.” Ginny spoke quietly.

There was pause then _“You’re not alone.”_

“Right.”

_"Do I have to guess?”_

“Probably not.”

_"Where are you?”_

“Training room.”

" _Hmm.  He’s not as clueless as I thought.  Well...he kind of is.”_

Ginny chuckles.  "I'd have to agree."

_"You okay?”_

“Yeah.  We talked.  I told him how I felt about it.  He apologized.  We’re good.”

Low laughter came through.  “What?” Why are you laughing?” Ginny whined. 

 

Her voice was a little louder, making it easier for Mike to overhear.

Mike eyes narrow when he hears her soft chuckle.  _Who the fuck IS that?_

 

_"You're good, huh?  Yeah, you're just as bad as him."_

"Am not."

" _Are too.  I have to go.  Call me later?”_

"Nope, you laughed at me.”

All out cackling ensued.  _"Bye, crazy girl."_

 

 

Ginny ended the called as she walked back to her treadmill.  She started stretching once her jacket was removed and the phone placed in the cupholder.

“Your mom?” Mike asked.  He was doing a moderate walk to warm up.

 She glanced in his direction.  “No.”

 His gaze followed her as she stepped on the treadmill and started with a brisk walk.

“Brother?”

She grinned, keeping her head forward.  “Nope.”

Mike’s stomach dropped.  “New boyfriend?”

She finally turned her attention to him.  “Nosy much?”

His answer was immediate.  “Yup.”

Ginny’s dimples popped when she smiled.

“So?” he pushed, needing to know.

“Nope.”

He paused the treadmill and turned to her.  “Girlfriend?” 

Laughter erupted throughout the room.

"Train now, ask nosy ass questions later."

"Whatever, rookie.  I just wanted to know in case you needed some pointers."

She giggled.  "No need.  I'm good on that front."

Mike wanted to say something else, but she pulled her headphones from around her neck and placed them on her ears effectively ending the conversation.

The last thing he heard from her was a muttered, "Pointer." then a snort.  "Yeah, okay."

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

 

Ginny's phone rang as she climbed out her Uber.  “Hey.”

_“How was the endorsement party.  Did I say congratulations already?”_

“You did and it was nice.  There was a big turn out.  They handed out an awesome swag bag.  I'm saving it for the next time I see you.”

_“I knew I liked you for a reason.  Hey, I got to see you on the red carpet.  You looked good.  Mr. Lawson didn’t look too bad either.”_

Ginny waved to the security guard as she passed.  “Yeah, he did.” she replied absently. 

_"Someone really needs to win a bet against him and make him do something with that beard though.  Geez, he looks like he belongs with the Duck Dynasty guys.”_

 Laughing, Ginny said “I told him the same thing.  It’s crazy right?”

_“He’s still kinda hot, but damn.”_

 

 

Ginny was brought up short when a maintenance guy stepped in front of her.  “Miss Baker. Sorry to interrupt, but can I have your autograph for my niece?  She’s a big fan and made me promise I’d ask.”

"Sure." Ginny smiled at the man. “What’s your name, sir?”

“Mitch.” he answered.

“Nice to meet you Mitch.  What’s you’re niece’s name?”

Mitch handed over the 8x10 glossy of Ginny in uniform.  “It’s Amy.”

Ginny wrote a little note and signed her name.  “Here you go.”

Quickly reading the note, he laughed.  “Wow, she’s going to freak.  Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome.” she replied.  “Have a good day.”

“You too.”

Ginny continued onto her destination.

 

 

_“You’re a good person, Ginny Baker.”_

Ginny blushed. “Thanks.  So, what’s up?”

_"You won’t be able to contact me until Thursday night of next week.”_

 “Can I ask why?”

_“No, but if all goes well, I’ll no longer be under lock and key.”_

“Wait, that’s around the time we have a couple days off.  Maybe I can fly out?”

_“Probably.  I’ll call and let you know.”_

“Will it be possible to get the test done then or will we have to wait?  Will you have to stay close or can you travel?  Will you be able to visit me here?”

Ginny heard typing on a keyboard then _“I’ll know more next week.  Definitely make plans to fly out, but get insurance on the ticket in case we have to cancel.  Yes, we’ll be able to get the test done and yes, I’ll be able to visit you.  Not right away though.  Are you going to tell Mrs. B.?”_

Ginny sighed knowing what the reaction to her answer would be. “Not yet.  We haven’t really spoken since the All-Star games and when we do, we’re like polite strangers.”

 _“Ginny.”_   the voice admonished.

“I know, I know, but I’m still pissed about the Kevin thing.  Dad wasn’t the warmest person, but what she did was wrong.”

_“You don’t know the whole story.”_

“And neither do you!” Ginny shouted.  There was a long pause of silence while Ginny looked to see if anyone heard her then tried again.  “Sorry, I just—.”

_“It’s okay.  It’s a tough situation. But Gin, you’ve been holding onto this anger and resentment for too long.  You need to talk to her.  Let her know what you saw and how you feel.  Let her explain her side of things.”_

Ginny rounded the corner and walked the last stretch to the clubhouse entrance. “Ughh…I know, okay.  I'll talk to her.  Just not now.  I’m stressed enough as it is.  Plus, if we can get the tests done and the results are what we think, there will be questions that only she can answer.  For my own sanity, I’d prefer just one conversation.  Everything can be put on the table and dealt with then.”

Pulling the door open, Ginny walked inside the clubhouse.  She knew right away that she was the last one to show up.  Usually, if there's a game, she stays after her workout.  Today was different.  She had an early afternoon meeting with a technology company that wanted to use her likeness in a video game.

 

 

Sonny was coming from the bathroom when he spotted her.  “Well look who finally arrived.” 

She waved at him and kept walking.

 

 

"I _t’s your call. As long as you promise me that no matter what, you’ll talk to her.  She’s your mother.  She loves you and you love her.”_  

 

 

Blip stopped her midway to her private cubby.  Showing her a birthday card, he handed her a pen.  “Buck.” he mouthed.

She took the pen, nodding. After a quick note and signature, she was handing the card back. “You look nice.” He whispered before handing the card off to Voorhies.

"Thanks." she whispered back with a shy smile.  Ginny looked down at her outfit; slim boot cut jeans, a white button-down fitted collar shirt with a lightweight black leather jacket. Her hair had loose curls that hung pass her shoulders and a pair of all white Nike wedge sneakers were on her feet.  She was surprising comfortable with the look.

 

 

_"Ginny Baker, are you’re ignoring me?”_

 Ginny focused back on her call. “Sorry.  Yes, I heard you.  Blip said something.”

 " _Okay, I have to go and you have a game to prepare for.  I just wanted to make sure you didn't panic when you couldn't reach me directly.”_

 

 

Ginny took a step toward her cubby when she heard “Hey, Rook.  We need to go over the hitters.”

She holds up her finger, silently telling him to hold on.

 

 

“Nik, be careful.  If I don't hear from you by Friday morning, I'm going to call the emergency number you gave me.”

_“Duly noted and I will.  Was that Lawson?”_

“Yes.”

_“He sounds close, is he ear hustling?”_

 “Of course.”

 " _You had your video game meeting today, right?  Do you look cute?”_

 “I do.”

 Nik giggled. _“You're both hot messes.  Okay.  Seriously, I gotta go.  Love you.”_

 “Love you too, Nik.  Take care of you.”

" _And you stay out of trouble.”_

“I’ll try.” was Ginny’s response before ending the call.

 

 

Mike gently took Ginny’s elbow and walked her to her cubby. “So Nick huh?”

Ginny stopped at her door and faced Mike.  “Give me a few minutes to change and I’ll meet you at your locker.”

“When do I get to meet your…friend?”

Ginny smiled, her dimples on full display. “Lawson, you gotta find something else to focus on. Is Amelia not distracting you enough?”

Mike gave her a serious look. “It’s over between Amelia and I.”

Shocked, Ginny’s “Oh.” would have been missed had he not been standing so close.

“Hey Mike, how is it you bought the damn card, but is the only one that didn't sign it?” Blip said stepping between them. “Gin, get changed.” he told her as he nudged her into the cubby and pulled the door closed. Turning his attention back to Mike, he said “What’s going on?”

Mike shrugged, passing the signed card back.  “We have to go over the hitters.  And I wanted to let her know about me and Amelia.  Tell her we decided to go our separate ways.

Blip gestured that they move away from Ginny’s door.   “I don't want to sound callous, but I’m glad that’s over.  It wasn’t the smartest decision you made.”

Mike exhaled heavily.

“Mike.” Blip waited until the other man’s steel gaze was focused on him.  “Your relationship with Ginny goes beyond pitcher and catcher.  I don’t know what that it.  Hell, I don’t think you know what it is.  What I do know is that I would hate to have to kick your ass.  She’s like a sister to me, man.”

“I care about her, Blip.”

“Yeah.  That’s what I’m afraid of.” Blip replied before walking away.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, this chapter answers some questions about Ginny and Nik's friendship. There are Mike musings and Baker family feels.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for taking the time to read this little story of mine. I mentioned before that this is a new fandom for me so I'm still getting my footing. Add in that it's been a very long while since I've written anything so yeah...anxiety is kicking my ass.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments!

Later that evening, Mike sat staring at his phone. So deep in thought, he jumped when it began to ring. He hesitated seeing ‘Ginny Baker’ light up on the screen. Why was he nervous, it was just Gin—Baker, right? Nodding, he was a second from answering when his earlier conversation with Blip came to mind. Letting out a pensive sigh, he tossed the phone onto the table unanswered.

He let his head rest on the back of the sofa a few minutes. He told his friend and teammate he cared for Ginny. Which was true. He did care about her. As a team mate and a friend. Probably more than a friend. He might care more than he was willing to admit to himself.

Mike groaned and dug the heal of his hands into his eyes. “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!”

He’d been calling her Ginny in his mind after the first late night phone call. He admired her. When was first called up, he wanted to think she was a gimmick, a one start wonder. But he was wrong. She was far from that. She was a ball player. It took courage and determination to do what she was doing. The first female in MLB. She worked hard and played harder. Getting to know Ginny has been a pleasure. She could be a little shit when she wanted, but she was also funny as hell. She had a great sense of humor; laughed at all his jokes. Hell, what man doesn’t love a woman who laughed at his joke. And she was beautiful. God, she was beautiful.

Staring at the ceiling, Mike reached over and picked up his phone. _‘One missed call’_. _‘One new message’_. Slowing standing, he began walking around to turn off the lights and set the alarm. He was tired of thinking. He’d sleep on it and maybe by tomorrow, he’d have a better idea of how to stop himself from falling in love with one Ginny Baker.  

 

Two days later, Mike was on his way to Blip’s for dinner and no closer to solving his emotional dilemma. Since it was Saturday and Ginny spent most weekends at the Sanders home, he knew he couldn’t avoid the inevitable any longer. Figuring out you was a 36 year old catcher on the verge of retirement falling for your 23 year old rookie pitcher whose whole career in front of her was eye opening and scary as hell, so he took the easy way out. He avoided her whenever possible.

He felt like shit. He knew she was confused and hurt by his actions. All conversations were about the game. No more, no less. No late night calls, no casual visits or outings. He was handling the situation badly, but he hadn’t been ready to deal with his feelings yet. He still wasn’t, but it wasn’t fair to Ginny, him or the team. It was going to start to affect the game. He had to man up. He just hoped that no matter what happened or how they decided to move forward, he wouldn’t lose her friendship. 

 

Evelyn stood in the doorway of her patio watching Ginny sit quietly in one of the nearby chairs. Stepping out, she cleared her throat. “Hey, I brought you a drink.”

Taking it, Ginny thanked her.

“Why do you look so sad? Does it have anything to do with the letter I saw you reading earlier?”

“One of the reasons. My mother sent it.” Ginny replied.

Evelyn knew the mother daughter relationship was rocky. “She okay?”

“Yeah. She’s—she’s selling the house. My dad’s house.” Evelyn could hear the pain in her voice.

“Oh…wow. Okay. I’m sorry to hear that honey. Did she say why?” Evelyn asked.

Ginny finally turned to face her friend. It was then that Evelyn saw Ginny was still holding the letter. Ginny silently looked in her Evelyn’s eyes for a several long seconds before saying “I’m going to let you read the letter, then I want to show you something.” Ginny explained as she handed the letter over.

Taking it, Evelyn said. “Okay.”

 

They both heard the door slide open. “Aunt Ginny!” Gabriel and Marcus called out in unison. “We’re back!”

Ginny stood up just as the boys threw themselves into her arms. “I see that. How was soccer practice? Did you pick me up something good when you stopped at the store?”

“You mean besides the grape soda you can’t live without?” Blip yelled from inside. 

“We got some barbeque potato chips and Twizzlers.” Marcus added.

“Awesome!” she exclaimed. “Hi-five!”

The boys took turns slapping her hand then ran back into the house to ask their father if he needed help.

 

Ginny closed the door behind them. By the time she sat back down, Evelyn was folding the letter and placing it back in the envelope. "Gin, honey, I understand why you’re upset…I do, but do you understand why she feels like she does? Why she decided to sell?”

Ginny huffed. “Of course, I do. That doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I mean. She’s going to marry Kevin and doesn’t want to start their new life where she made one with my father. I get it. I even agree because I don’t want that man in my father’s house either. I saw them Ev. I saw them standing in the kitchen when my father wasn’t home.”

Eyes widening, Evelyn took the younger woman’s hands.

“That was when it hit me that we really weren’t this big happy family. I mean, my father was so focused on making me a ball player that nothing else seemed to matter including his relationship with my mom. I felt bad because I thought it was my fault. Then I saw her with him and—“

“Gin—“

“She showed up during the All-Star games and invites him to dinner with us and sprung him and their relationship on me like I’d really be happy for her. They acted like they had started seeing each other recently when I know it’s been going on for years. Years, Ev! How the hell am I supposed to be happy about that!”

“Gin, listen. I’m not going to even to try to explain or excuse what you saw or how you feel, but honey, you have to talk to you mom about this. From what she’s saying in the letter, she wants to fix whatever it is that’s broken in your relationship. She has no idea, Gin. None. You gotta tell her. It’s the only way you’re know if things can be fixed. It sounds like she’s really hurt that you two aren’t getting along. Talk, yell. Do what you must to work it out.” Evelyn implored.

Exasperated, Ginny sat back in her seat. “I’m hurt too, Ev. And now she’s selling house and marrying…him.” Tears began falling down the heartbroken woman’s cheeks.

Evelyn reached over and silently wiped the tears from Ginny’s cheeks. “Come here.” she opened her arms.

 

The door was closed, but Blip could see that emotions were running high outside. He couldn’t hear what was being said, tension was palpable. Instead of intruding, he sent the boys upstairs to shower and change. He was taking the marinade steaks from the refrigerator to let them breathe when the doorbell rang. Knowing who it was, he hurried to open the door and rushed back to his original spot to see if he could tell what was going on. “Hey, man, come on in.”

“What’s the rush, Sanders?” Mike asked as he closed and locked the door the followed the other man into the kitchen. He sat the bowl he was carrying as well as the case of beer he bought on the counter.

“What’s in the bowl?” Blip asked eyes without taking his eyes off the patio happenings.

“My famous macaroni salad.” Mike replied letting his eyes roam around the room until they landed on what had his friend’s rapt attention. Seeing Evelyn and Ginny pulling away from each other, he was going to make a joke. His eyes narrowed, though, when Ginny wiped her eyes. He was instantly concerned. “What’s wrong with Ginny?”

Concentration broken, Blip finally looked away from his wife and the woman he thought of as a little sister and turned to his friend. “Ginny? Not Rookie or Baker?”

Mike didn’t acknowledge the question. “What happened?” he asked again. Not getting an answer quick enough, Mike decided to go find out himself.

Blip grabbed Mike’s shoulder before the other man could get too far away. “Don’t. Whatever it is, it looks serious. Let them talk. If she wants you to know, she’ll tell you.” Satisfied that Mike wasn’t going anywhere, Blip let him go. “What’s going on between you two? Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’re avoiding any type of personal interaction with her.”

“Noth—“

“Don’t say nothing. Part of the reason I invited you was because you need to figure your shit out. It’s starting to affect the dynamics of the team.” Blip advised. He was worried about his friend. He’s only ever seen his this distracted when he found out Rachel cheated on him. “Mike.”

The look in Mike’s eyes said it all.

“No. Dammit Mike, no! What the hell?! Are you serious?” Blip exclaimed. “Mike, you—you know this can’t happen, right? You have one or two years left. She’s just beginning.”

“I know.”

“You’re her captain.”

“I know.”

“It’ll potentially ruin her career.”

“You don’t think I know that!” Mike angrily replied.

Blip glared at the other man, but his expression softened when he saw the pain his friend was trying to hide.

“Mike, I can’t even imagine being in your shoes.” he tried to sound understanding.

A humorless chuckle erupted from Mike. “And I never, in a million years, thought I would be in this situation. What the hell am I going to do?”

“Talk to her. She—I think, I mean—shit.” Blip let out a deep breath. “She might feel the same way, okay. These last couple days, it’s like the light in her eyes dimmed every time you treated her as just Baker, the pitcher and not _‘your rookie’_.” Blip explained. “You—you can’t be together. Not now. You just can’t, but maybe—after you retire. Maybe the backlash won’t be too bad?”

he two men shared a look of understanding.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

 

Unaware of the event developing inside, Evelyn waited for Ginny to compose herself then continued. “There’s more. What else is happening? Blip said there was something going on between you and Mike.”

Ginny nodded. “Blip’s right. Mike and I, we talk on the phone most nights. The last two days I’ve called and texted and he didn’t respond. When we’re at Petco, he doesn’t talk to me about anything personal, just the game. I tried to get him to tell me what was wrong, but he froze me out. I don’t know what I did or if I did anything at all.”

Evelyn frowned. “Do you know if it has anything to do with Amelia? Or it could be Rachel. Have you seen her around lately? Sometimes he’s grumpier than usual if a run in with her doesn’t go too well.”

“I don’t think it’s Amelia. He told me they weren’t seeing each other any longer and when I tried to subtlety ask Amelia about it, she basically said it was never serious between them. As for Rachel, I haven’t seen her, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t.”

Evelyn noticed all of this was said while Ginny looked at everything except her. “Ginny, do you have feeling beyond pitcher/catcher for Mike?”

“Maybe” came a sheepish reply.

It took everything in her not blurt out her giddy excitement. Instead, she remained subdued. “What about your no ball players rule?”

“It didn’t stop me from falling for him.” Ginny quietly admitted. “It probably doesn’t matter anyway. Even if he felt the same way, us being together can’t happen. Not while we’re teammates.”

“So what are you going to do?” was asked.

“I don’t know.” Ginny shrugged then looked down to her lap. She didn’t want to talk about Mike any longer. It hurt too much. Instead she said “There’s something else.”

Evelyn watched the younger woman take something from her lap. “Is that a picture?”

Nodding, she slid it across the table. “Mom sent it along with the letter. She found it while going through some boxes and thought I’d want to have it.”

“Oh look at little Ginny Baker. You were so cute. How old…13, 14?” Evelyn asked, giggling. “That’s you’re dad, right?” Her laughter died when she took a closer look at the other person in the picture. “Who’s—Ginny, this other girl looks like you.”

“Evie.”

Evelyn head snapped up at the seriousness she heard in Ginny’s voice.

“What I’m going to tell you has to stay between us. You can’t tell Blip. It’s—really important that you don’t say anything.”

Evelyn silently nodded.

“I’m serious, Ev. I had no intention of sharing this yet, but—I’m worried and I need to talk to someone I trust. You and secrets don’t get along when it comes to your husband. It’s admirable, but in this case, you can’t say anything until I tell you it’s okay. Will you be able to do that?” Ginny asked.

“I’m not that bad. Okay, maybe a little.” Evelyn tried to joke but with the stoic expression on Ginny’s face, it fell flat. “Ginny. Will telling me put my family in danger; you’re included in that, by the way?“

“No because I wasn’t told a lot of information either. What I know only involves me and that girl’s relationship.” she pointed to the picture.

“Okay.” Evelyn said. “I trust you too.”

Ginny leaned and placed her forearms on the table causing Evelyn to do the same. “Her name is Monique Taylor, but she answers to Nikki. We met when we were ten years old after she moved to North Carolina. It was a lonely time for me. She was new in my school and looking to make friends. Instead of going to the table with the popular girls, she sits down in front of me.”

Evelyn can’t help, but smile; glad to know Ginny wasn’t completely alone.

“We became fast friends. My father didn’t like it at first, but he gave in when he realized she wouldn’t take me away from baseball. We would do homework then she would sit on the steps while I practiced. Eventually she picked up enough that she could tell when my angle was off. It was great. My father even showed her how to catch and let her practice with me sometime. Everyone said we could pass for sisters which we loved because we were best friends. Then one day, she called to tell me she was moving away. Her mom wouldn’t let her come to say goodbye. I was devastated. That was one of the only times my dad gave me a couple days off from practice.”

While Ginny took a breath to compose herself, Evelyn glanced around finally noticing the quiet and that Blip and the boys never came back out. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw her husband and Mike standing in the kitchen. _'Shit I forgot to tell Ginny Mike was going to be here.'_    Blip gave her a look and she shook her head. They had enough silent conversations to read each other’s queue. He nodded, letting her know he understood that they shouldn’t come out just yet. She turned back to Ginny telling her to continue.

“About seven months ago, I got a phone call. It freaked me out because no one had my number. Amelia had just gotten the phone and made sure the number wasn’t listed. It was Nikki. She said she’d been wanting to get in touch with me for a while, but other responsibilities stopped her. I didn’t believe her at first. I just kept hearing Amelia’s voice in my head saying old friends would eventually come out the woodwork. But I hadn’t even gotten called up yet and I just—I wanted to believe her. She started telling me things, things that only Nikki would know. Things that not even my parents knew. One conversation turned into another and it went from there.”

“That’s wonderful, Ginny! You had to be happy to get your friend back. It sounds like you two were thick as thieves.” Evelyn happily expressed.

“We were.”

Thinking on it, Evelyn quickly put two and two together. “Oh shit! Nikki! Nik!. The Nik you’re always talking to. The one Blips says Mike thinks is you new boyfriend?!”

“Exactly. I was going to tell him _she_ was a friend, but he stopped talking to me.” Ginny answered sadly. “Anyway, she called to tell me I wouldn’t be able to contact her until next Friday at the earliest.”

“Okay. Why?”

“She couldn’t tell me. She works odd hours and she’s been pretty secretive when it comes to what she does.” Ginny explained. “I can’t help, but worry though. I haven’t gone more than a day without talking to her since we reconnected and the last time we spoke, I just got the feeling something was off.”

“Do you think she’s some secret government agent or something. Witness protection? I mean, she did somehow get your new, unlisted number. Wait, if she was in witness protection, she wouldn’t be able to call you. Hmm. I don’t know Gin. Do you trust her?”

“Absolutely.” Ginny responded without a second thought. “It’s funny you say that though, I asked her why should wouldn’t or couldn’t give more details about her job. Even jokingly asked if she secretly worked for the FBI or CIA. She hummed and said something like that. After that, I was kind of afraid to ask anymore questions. I just figured she’d tell me when or if she could.”

Evelyn eyes widened in shock. “Wow. Well, do you think she would tell you if something was wrong? Even with her being incommunicado, would she answer if there was an emergency?” Evelyn asked.

“I believe so…if she could. She also gave me another number to call just in case.”

“Then I don’t think you should worry too much. I mean, worry because she’s your friend, but give her until Friday and if you don’t hear from her, start calling both numbers until someone answers.”

Ginny nodded. “Right, yes. I can do that.”

Evelyn frowned. “Ginny, I don’t understand. Why does all this need to be a secret? Because of what her job could be?”

Slowly Ginny nodded then whispered. “That and because we think maybe we could really be sisters.”

“WHAT?!” Evelyn gasped dramatically.

 

Suddenly, the patio door slammed open causing the two women’s head to snap in it’s direction.  

“Mom, dad said it’s time to put the steaks on.” Marcus announced.

As soon as Evelyn said “Okay, honey.”, both boys ran out into the backyard, soon followed by Blip and Mike, carrying the steaks and beers, respectively.

Seeing Mike, Ginny turned a stony glare in Evelyn's direction.

“Ladies.” Blip said as he passed by on his way to the grill.

“Hello ladies.” Mike greeted, kissing Evelyn on her forehead as he sat the beers on the table. He then made a point of resting his hand on the small of Ginny’s back before placing a tender kiss on her forehead. “Hey, Gin. Can I talk to you for a sec?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing and all mistakes are mine.


	4. Chapter 4

 

Ginny let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. The feel of Mike’s hand and lips was electrifying. “Sure.” She breathed out. Standing from the table, she led him around the side of the pool. Once she thought they were out of hearing distance, she turned to face him. “What’s up?”

Mike took a moment to get his fill of the woman in front of him. He let his eyes travel down her body to the colorful sneakers that adorned her feet back up to riot of curls pulled up onto the top of head. “You look nice.”

Ginny frowned. “Um, thanks. You’ve seen me in leggings and matching jacket before, though.”

“Hmm.” Mike nodded.

“Lawson. What did you want?” Ginny asked, her aggravation clear.

“I thought—I just wanted to apologize for how I acted these last couple days.” he explained.

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. Feelings of both, hurt and anger, arose. “You shut me out. Why? Did I—did I do something?”

Mike shook his head. “No. No, it wasn’t you okay? It was me.”

She glowered. “Don’t bullshit me, old man.”

“No bullshit.” Mike exhaled deeply. He reached out to grasp her arm.

Sidestepping his touch, she murmured. “Don’t.”   Letting her eyes catch his. “You shut me out and—you wouldn’t tell me why. You—“ she inhaled a deep breath and let it out. “It—hurt. You hurt me, Mike.”

“Ginny—“ Mike reached for her, but she stepped away again.

“Please.” she implored. “Just tell me.”                                                                         

Mike shoved his hands in his pockets so he wouldn’t reach out to her again. “Rookie—Ginny.” He began then let out a frustrated sigh.

Ginny stared as he tried to find his words. When he still didn’t offer an explanation, she dropped her hands to her sides in disappointment. “Look Lawson. I don’t know what your problem is, but if being my friend is such a hardship for you, just say so. We don’t have to be friends to have a successful working relationship. We’re both professionals, right?” she told him. She went to step around him. “I pitch and you catch. No more. No less.”

“Ginny, don’t walk away.” Mike pleaded. He was getting upset because he could get his thoughts together.

She bumped his shoulder as she passed him and replied in a low growl. “You left me first.”

_‘How’d it all go to shit so fast?’_ he thought as he spun around and grabbed her arm. “Wait.”

“For what, Mike? What? What do you want from me?” she bitterly asked, trying to keep her voice low.

“Everything.” his answer so low, she almost didn’t hear him. Then he said it again, louder. “I want everything.”

 

 

Meanwhile, Evelyn had joined Blip at the grill because it brought her closer to the other pair. As much as Mike and Ginny were trying to keep their voices low, the Sanders couple could hear some of what was said. They didn’t even have to act like they weren’t trying to listen because Mike and Ginny weren’t focused on anything else except each other.

“Can you hear what they’re saying?” Blip quietly asked.

Evelyn shook her head “Not everything.”

“He’s in love with her.” Blip announced.

Evelyn looked at her husband. “Did he say that?”

“He didn’t have to. It’s in his eyes when he looks at her. I know him better than he knows himself sometimes.” Blip explained. “Is she?”

“I think so.” Evelyn determined.

“Is that what you were talking about earlier?” he asked, trying to keep an eye on the food as well as the two people they were talking about. He could see Ginny was getting upset.

“I promised I wouldn’t say anything about that, but as soon as I can, I’ll tell you.” Evelyn let him know.

They took a second to look into each other’s eyes. “Okay.” Blip replied.

“Okay.” She smiled.

They both turned to the other pair when they heard Ginny’s voice raising. “Take the boys in. I’ll keep an eye out.” Blip told her.

Evelyn nodded then quickly and quietly gathered their sons and escorted them into the house.

 

 

Ginny stood stunned at Mike’s words. “Wha—what? What does that mean?”

Now that he had her attention again, he didn’t waste it. “After our conversation in the locker room Thursday, I spoke to Blip. He said some things that got me thinking—about us. Yes, we are pitcher and catcher, but you’re also my friend. I care about you.”

“I care—“ she began, but Mike’s next words stopped her, “As more.”

“…”

Mike kept his eyes locked on hers in hopes that she would see his truth. “Ginny, my feelings for you run deeper than just friendship.”

Ginny’s heart clenched.

“But—because of who we are, I can’t…do anything about it. And I hate that. I hate that in trying to deny my feelings, I almost ruined what we were building by starting something with Amelia. I hate that my denial hurt you and I definitely hate that Nick guy you’re always speaking to. Seriously, who the hell _IS_ he?”

Ginny couldn’t stop the watery giggle that escaped. _‘He really has no idea.’_

“Don’t laugh at me, Rook.” Mike admonished as he shortened the distance between them. “It bothers me to think he gets to love you when I can’t.” his last words were said as he stepped into her.

Ginny’s eyes slowly closed as he dropped his head down to rest his forehead against hers. “I think I’ve loved you since you slapped me on the ass that day in practice.”  

Tears that Ginny was desperately trying to hold in finally fell at hearing Mike’s confession. He used the pads of his thumbs to wipe the tears away.

Ginny inhaled deeply and let it out slowly to help quiet her emotions. Once she felt calmer, her eyes opened and met Mike’s. His expression was so open, more tears slipped out. She ran her hands over his beard, letting her fingers burrow through until she met skin. “It scares me.” she whispered. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before and I’m—terrified. We’re teammates. You’re my captain. I’m your rookie. What we are feeling is the epitome of what _not_ to do.”

Mike grasped her hands from his face and held them to his chest. He dropped a soft kiss on the tip of her nose then just breathed her in.

“I hate that I’m being held to higher morals than the male ballplayers in the league.” Ginny continued. “I hate that everything I do is scrutinized and judged by standards I’ll never be able to live up to.”

She took a moment to take him in before saying the final part of her own confession. His scent, his warmth, how he made her feel; she wanted to give him her everything.

“I’ve loved you since the speech you gave on my second start and I hate that because of who we are, I can’t do anything about it.” Ginny sadly proclaimed.

Mike nodded in understanding. He wanted so badly to kiss her and he could tell she wanted the same. They both vibrated with need. It would be so easy to lean in. To have just a small taste. To feel her soft lips against his, but he knew it wasn’t a good idea. If he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. Then where would they be. Instead, he pulled her into him, encircling his arms around her and held on.

Ginny allowed them this moment in each other’s arms. She savored the feel of his heart beating against her. One hand was wrapped around her waist while the other cradled her head in the crook of his arm.  She could feel his breath against her skin; his face resting in the space between her neck and shoulder.

If anyone told her a year ago that she’d be standing with Mike Lawson in their friend’s backyard confessing feeling of love to each other, she would have laughed in their faces. The joke was on her, though because it happened and the effects were devastating. How was this going to play out? Would they be able to continue working together without their feelings getting in the way? How long before one of them snapped and lost control?

Mike allowed them this moment, savoring the feel of her arms wrapped around him; one hand resting on the back of his neck, the other gently stroking his hair.

If anyone told him a year ago that the feelings he held for his ex-wife would be surpassed then completely taken over by Ginny Baker, the 23 year old first female in MLB, he would have laughed his ass off. They would have had the last laugh, though and the results were devastating. How was this going to work? Was he going to be able to stop himself from killing anyone who caused her pain? How long before one of them snapped and lost control?

 

 

Once Evelyn got the boys settled in their room until dinner was ready, she rejoined Blip at the grill. They looked on as their friends spoke from their hearts and joined in a heartbreaking embrace. Ever the romantic and wanting their friends happy, she turned to her husband. “We have to help them. There has to be a way, Blip.”

Blip looked down at his wife and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close. Over her head, he let his gaze fall back on their friends. He knew they cared for one another, but what he just witnessed was beyond mere caring. With that thought, he resolved to help them find a way to be together. If anyone deserved to have a chance at happiness, it was the two people in front of him.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone's new year is going well so far. Here is the next installment. Enjoy!

By the time Mike and Ginny joined the Sanders family at the table for dinner, Evelyn had already started to formulate a plan. 

“Blip and I talked it over and we want to help you.” Evelyn began once the boys were in bed for the night.

“Evie, Mike and I talked about it. We’re going to keep our distance until he retires and if we both still want to be together, we’ll pursue a relationship.” Ginny announced. She could see Mike, who sat on in the chair to her right, nod in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s not going to work.” Blip countered. He pointed at Ginny. “You track his movement whenever he’s in the same space as you.”

Seeing her shake her head in denial, he smiles. “See, you don’t even know you do it. And you” he turned to Mike. “You try so hard not to watch her that it’s obvious. Also, you tense up when she come too close. I noticed because I’ve been watching you two trying to figure out what was going on.”

“I don’t—“ Mike tried to deny, but at the look on his friend’s face he stopped talking.

“Now that you’re on the same page, it’s going to be worse. So here’s what I think. You two quietly start dating.” Evelyn suggested.

“It’s going to be difficult. You’ll have to act like you’re just friends and teammates while in public. Keeping the relationship secret can put a strain on an already stressful situation.” Blip advised.

“Mike, now more than ever, anyone paying attention will be able to see how you feel about Ginny. That means, you can’t act like a possessive asshole if you see someone flirting with her.” Evelyn told him.

Seeing the grin form, Blip says “Ginny, seeing the person you care about react to someone flirting might be cute to some, but it can be dangerous.”

“I would never encourage—“

“Who is Nick?” both Mike and Blip asked. Annoyance could be heard in Blip’s tone while bitterness filtered through Mike’s.

Ginny drew back at the question and her ire rose at the tone used to ask it.

Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up. She took a sip of her wine and sat back. _‘This should be fun. Girl’s got quite the temper when provoked.’_

“First of all, don’t use that tone with me.” Ginny responded harshly.

“Gin—“ Blip couldn’t recall ever being on the receiving end of her anger.

Mike didn’t back down. _‘She’s cute when she’s all riled up.’_ He just leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. He kept his gaze on Ginny letting her know he was listening, but also expected an answer.

She started with Blip. “I appreciate you trying to help us. I’m even starting to think that maybe Mike and I can try to make this thing work sooner rather than later. He’s your friend and I’m glad you have his back, but—“ she turned to Mike. “He’s the one who slept with my agent because he couldn’t get a handle on his feelings for me.”

“Baker, I apologized.” Mike interjected.

“Yes you did and I accepted your apology. I mentioned it to make a point. I would have told you who _she_ was if you didn’t act weird—“

“Jealous.” Evelyn added.

Ginny continued as if she didn’t hear the other woman. “Every time you heard me on the phone. I thought it was hilarious, especially when I found out about Amelia. The night you started avoiding me, I had planned on telling you that _Nikki_ is a childhood friend who I reconnected with several months ago.”

Mike looked properly chastised. “Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.” Ginny said.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Blip asked. “You know I would have kept your secret.”

“Plausible deniability.” Ginny and Mike answered at the same time.

Evelyn chuckled. “You two are so cute.”

Mike stood from his chair to sit next to Ginny on the sofa. “So what you’re saying is that if I wasn’t being a chicken shit, I would have known all along that you was using your friend as a sounding board because you were pining away for me.” He grinned.

Shoving him, she laughed. “Old man got jokes.”

“It’s all fun and games until someone gets their feeling hurt and does something stupid.” Blip says somberly.

Mike and Ginny looked at their friend then back to each other.

“What do you think? You think you can keep your hands off me when we’re in public?” Mike joked, but he was nervous about her response.

“Do you?” Ginny asked. She could tell he was nervous. She was too.

“You have more to lose than I do, Gin. I want nothing more than to be with you, but there are no guarantees that it won’t get out before we’re ready for the world to know.” Mike reminds her.

Ginny took his hand in hers. “I want this…you so much. I know we have to be careful and that no matter how hard we work to keep it under wraps, someone outside of our group may find out, but I want to try. Please, can we try?”

Mike smiled happily at her. “We’ll do more than try.”

Ginny threw her arms around him. “I’m gonna love the fuck outta you, Mike Lawson.”

Tightening his arms around her, he laughed. “Back at you, Ginny Baker.”

Ginny squeezed him one last time before pulling back. She looked across the coffee table at Blip and Evelyn, who were smiling, then back to Mike. “There’s—“ her voice cracked. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “There’s something you all should know. I did something—um, that I found out will probably be made public. I don’t know when, but—“

The mood in the room changed from joyful to grave in a matter of seconds. “What is it, Ginny? Baby, you know you can tell me, us, anything.” Mike soothed.

“God, this sucks.” she exclaimed. “Okay, here it goes. So I took some pictures…”

 

 

Several days had passed since that fateful night at the Sanders house. Ginny told them about the pictures she took for her then boyfriend and his telling her about his cloud account being hacked. Mike was pissed at Trevor Davis. Not only did he lie about deleting the pictures, but Mike now had a clearer understanding behind Ginny storming the mound and the subsequent shoving match with Davis during the Padres/Cardinal game.

After assuring Ginny that he had her back no matter what, they slowly began to navigate their new relationship. He shared things about his past that he never told anyone, even his ex-wife. Ginny opened up about her father’s death and relationship with her mother. She also spoke of her friendship with Nikki and let him know that she couldn’t tell him their whole story yet. They spent time at his home and her hotel, but agreed to hold off on being intimate. They were going at a much slower rate than Mike was used to, but it was nice and he was enjoying himself.

When they were around the team, it was business as usual. Blip even said their special pitcher/catcher relationship was better because they no longer had to work hard to not look at each other nor feel tense and awkward when they were in each other’s space.

Currently, the team was waiting out a rain delay. Ginny and Livan were going over hitters. Mike was looking through a magazine and Blip was scrolling though Twitter on his phone. Other players were listening to music while some were talking on the phone; anything to pass the time.

“Yo, turn on TMZ.” Someone yelled.

Sonny was closest so he reached for the remote control and switched on the television that hung in the corner of the locker room. He tossed the remote in a chair before going to his locker.

 

 _“So we all know Ginny Baker, the first female in MLB.”_ the guy’s ears perked up at hearing their teammate’s name.

 _“Well, prepare to know her a little better. See it here first, exclusive photos of the revealing kind were sent to our studio earlier today. If you were wondering what she looked like under that uniform, your questions will be answered when you see the photos.”_ one of the reporters announced.

 

Mike’s head whipped around so fast, he heard his neck crack. “Where’s Ginny?” his eyes scanning the locker room as he ran to locate the remote Sonny tossed.

“She was going over hitters with Livan.” Blip replied.

“Mami stepped out a few minutes ago.” Livan tells them.

 

 _“Oh come on.”_ one of the female reporters groaned. _“This isn’t the first time someone leaked nude selfies.”_

 _“And she’s not completely nude. She’s covering all the important parts.”_ another reported declared.

 _“I think they’re kind of sexy. She’s showing enough to keep you guessing.”_ the other female reported stated.

_“Is it really Ginny, though? She’s not facing the camera full on. How do we know it’s her?”_

_“You be the judge.”_ someone off camera said before the pictures splashed on the screen.

 

Eyes popped out and jaws dropped.  

“Oh shit!” Sonny exclaimed before covering his eyes. “Turn it off!” he yelled as Mike finally dug the remote out from between the cushions and quickly turned off the television. You could hear a pin drop after the screen went black.

The silence was broken by the sound of cleats hitting the concrete then coming to a stop. “What happened? Why is everyone so quiet?” Ginny wondered. Everyone looked shell shocked.

All eyes turned to Ginny before shifting to look anywhere, but at her.

She frowned. “What?”

Blip stepped toward her. “Gin—“

She looked at him then Mike. “Lawson, what—“

“The pictures.” he says. The look on his face told her everything she needed to know.

Ginny’s eyes widened. She looked around the locker room at her teammates. She opened her mouth to say…something, but nothing came out.

Suddenly a series of notification dings started ringing throughout the room.

Mike watched the emotions play over his girl’s face. He wanted so much to pull her into his arms, but knew couldn’t. All he could use was his words. As he took a step in her direction, he saw movement behind her. Al, Oscar, Charlie and Amelia filed down the hall and into the room.

“Baker.” Al called.

Ginny spun around.

“Come with—“ he began, but her email notification ring cut him off.

She took a quick glance at her phone. Seeing the familiar email address, she addressed Al. “Sorry, Skip. I have to look at this.”

“Ginny.” Amelia admonished.

Mike heard that tone before. Amelia was on edge and ready to snap at any moment.

Ginny gave her agent a hard look. “I need to read this email then we can deal with the shit show that is my life right now.”   Without waiting for a response, she opened the message.

 

_‘No one fucks with my Ginny Baker. Take a closer look at the photos. Always remember, I got you. ~N’_

 

Quickly going to Mike, she took the remote and turned the television back on. She switched the source to USB then grabbed the cable hanging from the side.

Mike and Blip looked at each other and shrugged in confusion.

“Ginny, what the hell?” Blip asked.

“I just need to see something.” she replied, connecting her phone.

“Ginny, we don’t have time for this.” Amelia exclaimed. “We need to figure out a plan of action.”

Everyone else silently looked on as Ginny hit a couple button and her phone’s internet connection appeared.

She looked up at the television in satisfaction then back to her phone.

“Amelia!” Eliot called as he ran into the room.

Hearing his voice, Ginny called him over. “Eliot, I need your help.”

He was immediately at her side.

“Bring up the photos, please. I need to check something.” she told him.

Eliot took her phone. “I think I know what you’re looking for. I got an email.”

She gave him a slight smile.

“What’s going on?” Amelia asked as she moved closer.

Everyone else also moved closer. Ginny felt Mike at her back, lending her some of his strength.

Eliot typed Ginny Baker in the search bar. They weren’t surprised at how quickly they started to circulate.

“Click the one with both pictures side by side.”

Eliot did as he was told. They all waited while Ginny stared at the screen.

Charlie opened his mouth to ask what the point was when Ginny rushed to the television and jumped on the table below it. “Zoom in on the hip.”

Everyone looked at the screen as Eliot zoomed in.

“What are you looking for?” Mike spoke up as he stared at the picture. Then he saw it. “Oh shit.”

Ginny glanced back at him and nodded. Letting out a sigh of relief, she hopped off the table and turned to the group.

“What?” Oscar asked.

“It’s not me in those pictures.”

All eyes flew back to the screen.

Eliot handed the phone back to her and went to the screen. Standing on the table, he pointed to the scar showing from under the sheet.

Ginny turned to her right, lifted the layers of her tops and pushed down the layers of the bottoms she had on.

Mike already knew what was going to be revealed. He’d seen her in enough leggings and sports bras.

All eyes zeroed in on her flawless skin. No scar was visible.

“But—“ Blip began.

Fixing her clothes, she looked around the room at the people she’d come to rely on for one reason or another during her time on the team. “I’m sorry that you have to deal with the fall out of this. It seems like no matter how hard I try not to, I end up in the news.”

“Baker, it’s okay.” Salvamini let her know. “It comes with the territory.”

“And you being a female doesn’t help matters. Double-standards and all that.” Voorhies added.

Ginny nodded. “Thanks.” She looked at Mike and Blip whose slight nod of encouraged and support gave her to courage to continue.

“The thing is…the pictures do exist.” Ginny told the team. “An ex-boyfriend’s cloud account got hacked. Someone I know said they’d look into it, but in the meantime, I tried to get ahead of it by notifying my agent who told management.”

The guys understood. More than of one them had gotten caught on camera in some form or another.

“The scar?” Knobles asked.

“The email.” Amelia and Eliot said, talking about the two separate ones.

Ginny smirked. “The hacker got hacked.”

“According to the email I received, the original pictures no longer exist. Anywhere.” Eliot let her know.

“Well, Baker.” Al said as he made his way to her. He clapped her on the shoulder. “I’m glad you have someone with those kind of skills looking out for you.”

“Let’s go back to my office and figure out how we’re going to deal with this.” announced Oscar, who had been quiet the entire time. “Sorry, Baker, but you’re going to have to sit this game out.”

“Everyone else, get ready. It stopped raining. We start in 5.” Al squeezed Ginny’s shoulder once more before releasing it.

As everyone started to scatter, many of the team members gave Ginny nods or winks. She smiled at them in return, finally getting that they thought of her as one of their own.

Blip and Mike remained where they stood, letting her come to them.

“Nikki?” Mike asked softly.

She nodded.

“Are we going to get to meet her soon?” Blip asked just as quietly.

“I hope so.” Ginny says.

“Ginny, we have to go.” Amelia declared rather loudly. She was still agitated; more so because she wanted additional information about the secret emailer. Problem was, she knew Ginny wouldn’t share more than she thought was necessary.

Catching Mike’s eye as she slowly passed, she tried to communicate her feelings to him. Seeing the same look in his eyes let her know he understood and reciprocated. “Good luck out there.”

“Later?” Mike asked.

“Later.” Ginny answered.

Blip watched their exchange and waited for the room to clear before turning to his friend. “If I have to see you two have eye sex again, I think I’m going to stab myself in the eyes with a spoon.”

Mike shoved the other man. “Shut it.”

“Ready?” Blip asked.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing and all mistakes are mine.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I was able to get some writing done while riding out this nasty snow storm. 
> 
> Here's the next installment. A Nikki sighting is coming in the next chapter. Thanks for you continued interest in the story.

 

In the end, management and Amelia thought it best to release a statement denying the pictures were Ginny and sighting the scar as proof. Ginny knew at some point she would have to prove it, but that headache was for another day. Charlie asked if there were any other secrets they should know about. Her answer was no, reasoning that regardless of what her relationship with Nikki turned out to be, friendship or familial, negativity would not follow it’s reveal.

Later that night, some of the team went out to celebrate their win. Ginny encouraged Mike to go while she decided to stay home.

“You sure you don’t want to come out with us?” he asked. Mike had given her a ride to the hotel.

Ginny reached over to grab her bag from the backseat. “I’m sure, babe. You go and have a good time. I just want to have a nice soak in the bath and relax. Plus, the team got a hard earned win today. You deserve to celebrate without dealing with my crap.”

“Hey, look at me.” Mike, gently turned her head in his direction. “You’re part of that team. The guys would happily deal with whatever comes their way to make sure you know that. I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with so much bullshit when all you want to do is play the game. If I could make it all go away, I would.”

Ginny stroked his beard. “I know and I love you for it. It’s just so frustrating sometimes. If it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

They sat in comfortable silence before Ginny took his hand and squeezed it. “I’m going to head up.”

Mike studied her for a couple beats before asking “Is there anything else going on? You seem, I don’t know, worried. Is it Nikki? Aside from the email, I noticed you haven’t spoken to her a lot this week.”

“You really were all up in my conversations, weren’t you?” Ginny laughed.

Mike grinned. “I was trying to figure out who made you laugh with such abandonment. It was a beautiful sound and I wanted to be the one responsible for it.”

Ginny gave him a full out grin. “You’re so cute. Wait, are you blushing because I called you cute? I can’t really tell under the crumb catcher.”

He gasped in shock. “Really, Gin? It was one time.”

Giggling, Ginny replies “Mike, like most the pie crust was chillin’ in your beard.”

“Get out.” Mike shoved her playfully.

She laughed harder.

Mike leaned back watching her as he tried not to smile. “You done?”

She nodded, trying to quiet down. “Okay. I’m sorry. It was funny though.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Finally settling down, she answered his previous question. “She’s been busy. I should hear from her tomorrow.”

He nodded in understanding.

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow?” she asked reaching for the handle to open the door.

“If not sooner. I only plan to have a couple drinks. I’ll call you if it’s not too late.” Mike told her. “I’d kiss you, but—“

“And I’d let you.” she replied. “Talk to you later.”

“Love you.” he whispered since she already opened the door.

She looked over her shoulder and winked. “Back at you, old man.”

He waited until the door closed behind her after she entered the hotel before pulling from the curb.

 

 

Ginny had her bath with bubbles because it had been that kind of day. Once she was in her pajama pants and tank top, she ordered room service. As she was waiting for her food, she decided to braid her hair. She was almost done when her phone rang. Thinking it was Mike, she answered without looking. “You miss me already?”

 _“I do, but something tells me you thought I was someone else.”_ came the reply.

“Monique Taylor! Where the hell have you been?” Ginny shouted in worry.

The other woman let out a deep sigh. _“It’s a long story, Gin. But it’s done.”_

Ginny could practically hear the exhaustion in her friend’s voice. “Oh sweetie. I’m sorry for yelling. I was just so worried. I received the email you sent. Thanks for that, by the way. It all worked out.”

 _“Anything for you, you know that.”_ Nikki told her. _“Listen, did you buy you ticket already?”_

“No, I’m—“ Ginny answered.

 _“That’s good. I have meetings the next couple of days so it’s not a good time to come out.”_ Nikki explains.

“Nikki—are you sure everything is okay?” Ginny’s concern returned tenfold.

_“Yeah, yeah. Everything is good, just these last meetings to get through then I’m free.”_

“You sound as tired as I feel.” Ginny said.

 _“You have no idea. It’s okay, though. It was worth it. When these last details are handled, I’m going to head your way. Is that okay?”_ Nikki asked.

“Of course. I can’t wait to see you. When?” Ginny excitedly asked.

_“Umm, Monday the latest. Do you have a game that day? If I get in early enough, I can come see you play?”_

“We do and I’d love that.” Ginny tells her.

There was a pause _. “Ginny, I know you agreed to not being able to see me via Facetime or Skype until all this was over and we could see each other face to face.”_

“Nikki—look, I don’t know everything that’s going on, but I trust you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have agreed and we wouldn’t have gotten close again. I may not have liked it because I really want to see if we look as much alike as you say, but you said you’d explain and I’m okay with that.”

_“I appreciate that Gin.”_

Ginny could hear the uneasy exhale Nikki let out on the other end and let her own out. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer, but asked “What is it?”

 _“I didn’t know what was going to happen so I asked a trusted associate to run the test for us.”_ Nikki explained.

“H—How? How’d you get a sample of my blood?” was shakily asked.

_“You had your blood drawn during your annual exam last month. Because of your blood type, they asked you to donate. I sent my sample and the test was done.”_

“That was over a week ago. I don’t know if I should be pissed or glad that we will finally have our questions answered.” Ginny snapped.

 _“Honestly, if I were you, I’d be pissed.”_ Nikki admitted with regret. _“Ginny, I know I’ve left you in the dark for a long time, but if you can just give me a few more days. I promise, I’ll tell you everything.”_

A long pause followed and finally Ginny spoke. “You’re right, I’m pissed. I trusted you to be honest with me Nikki. I trusted that you, out of all people, wouldn’t go behind my back and do something like this.”

Nikki stayed silent, feeling awful.

“You know how hard it is for me to let people in. To let my walls down. This—finding out if we are sisters. Finding out the truth behind what happened if it turned out that we were. We were supposed to do this together.” Ginny was upset and it could be heard in every one spoken.

 _“I know and I’m so sorry. I just—Ginny.”_ Tears silently ran down Nikki’s face. _“If anything happened to me, I needed to make sure you knew the truth. I needed it on record that you are—my sister. I had to make sure that there was someone they had to answer to.”_

Ginny heard the catch in Nikki’s voice then the words “my sister” and started to cry. “So—so it’s true?”

Nikki nodded then said _“Yes. I got the results today. If for any reason, I couldn’t personally receive them, they would have been brought to you.”_

“I can’t believe it.” Ginny whispered through her tears. “What—I don’t understand. What happened? Why didn’t we know?”

Nikki sniffled. _“I have some ideas, but won’t know for sure until we talk to Mrs. B.”_

Ginny gave a watery chuckle. “You mean Mom.”

_“Yeah, I can’t even wrap my mind around that, right now. I’m—so fuckin’ tired, Gin.”_

Ginny wiped her eyes and tried to pull herself together. She excelled at compartmentalizing. “Alright, this is what we’re going to do. You get here as soon as you can. I will fill Amelia in so she’s not blindsided.”

_“Okay.”_

“I’m still pissed, Nik, but we’ll work it out. I mean, you were my friend and now my sister. It’s all kinds of fucked up, but we’ll figure it out.” Ginny declared.

_“Okay.”_

“Call me when you know your flight information.” Ginny tells her. “And Nikki?”

 _“Yes?”_ she softly replied.

“Get some sleep.”

 _“I will.”_ Nikki promises.

“I still love you. You suck right now, but I still love you.” Ginny informs her.

_“I know. I love you too. Goodnight.”_

“Goodnight.

 

 

Just as Ginny ended the call, she heard a knock at the door. “Room service”

“Coming.” Ginny calls out. She climbs off the bed and heads to the door. Pulling it open, she waits while the attendant pushes the cart in.

“Thank you.” Ginny tells him, handing him a tip.

“You’re welcome, Miss Baker.” he replied. “Enjoy your meal and have a nice evening.”

“You too.”

Closing and locking the door behind him, Ginny takes her grilled chicken salad and fork and goes back to her bed. She sits in the middle and crosses her legs. Placing the salad on her lap, she grabs her phone and calls Mike. He answers on the second ring.

_“Hey, what are you still doing up?”_

She could hear music and talking in the background. “Can you talk?”

_“I’m heading out to my car now. You okay?”_

“Not really.” she sadly replies.

She hears his keys jingle and seconds later, the door close _. “Hey, talk to me. What happened?”_

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I own nothing. All mistakes are mine.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh...I struggled with this one...rewrote it...probably would have again, but, I didn't want to hold onto it any longer than I already have.

 

After speaking with Mike, Ginny called and left a message for her mother to call her in the morning. She was leaning against the counter drinking a cup of tea when her phone rang.

“Good morning, Mom.”

_“Good morning, Ginny. I got your message. Is everything alright?”_ Janet Baker wasn’t as oblivious as her daughter thought her to be. After her visit the previous month, Janet realized that there was something Ginny wasn’t telling her. Something that would explain why Ginny treated her with such disdain sometimes. Although the rift between them had only grown over the years, Janet refused to give up. She’d do anything for her children so when she listened to her voicemail that morning, she was immediately concerned.

“I’m doing okay. Really busy.” Ginny replied. “What about you? How have you been?”

_“I’m doing wonderful. Kevin and I think we found a house. We put an offer in and are just waiting to hear back.”_

Ginny refrained from rolling her eyes at her mother’s excitement. She wasn’t that selfish. Ginny wanted her mother to be happy, she just had a hard time with who she chose to be happy with. “That’s nice.”

_“So what’s going on? Your message said you need to talk to me about something important?”_

“Is there any way you can come here? The questions I have should probably be asked in person.” Ginny wanted to know.

_“I’m sorry, baby. Kevin and I are leaving this afternoon for a week vacation. It’s the first time he’s had some time off since last month and we wanted to get away. Can it wait?”_

“Not really. I found something out and—“

_“Why can’t you ask me over the phone?”_ Janet was frustrated. She was starting to feel like Ginny was trying to prove some kind of point by asking her to change plans.

Ginny was instantly on edge at her mother’s tone. “Fine. I reconnected with Nikki.”

Janet paused. _“Oh. Well, that’s great Ginny.   I know how sad you were when she had to leave.”_

“Yeah, I was. Anyway, remember how everyone thought we looked like sisters. Well, it turns out we really are.” Ginny deadpanned. She’d feel bad later for throwing the information out there so callously.

_“Wh—what? What did you say?”_ the older woman stuttered. Unable to believe what she heard.

“I said Nikki is really my sister. DNA tests were run and it came back positive. I don’t have—“

_“STOP IT!”_ Janet yelled. _“You stop right now, Genevieve Marie Baker! Nikki Taylor is not your sister! Do you hear me?! There is no way that girl is your sister.”_

Ginny nearly dropped the phone when her mother started yelling. “Mom, it’s true, okay?” Ginny gently repeated. “Please stop yelling and listen.”

The silence lasted so long, she thought her mother hung up. “Mom?”

Sniffling, Janet softly replied. _“I’m here.”_

Ginny sighed. “This is why I wanted to talk face to face. I know you’re upset, but Nikki is going to be here in a day or two. Mom, Nikki and I still look alike. When people see us together, the question is going to be asked and the DNA test could come out so please—please can you explain how this is possible?”

Ginny listened as her mother tried to stop crying. After a minute, she started to tell her story _. “About eleven months before you were born, I gave birth to another little girl. We named her Gabrielle Alysse.”_

Ginny let out a choked sob. Hearing her friend’s birth name made it more real somehow.

_“She was so beautiful, Ginny Bean. But her heart wasn’t as strong as they’d like.”_ Janet explained as the tears returned. _“They—they told us that there was a complication and her heart just gave out.”_

“Mom—mom, I’m so sorry.” Ginny cried.

_“But I don’t understand. Ginny, how did this happen?’_ Janet wanted to know.

“I don’t know, but we’ll find out.” Ginny promised her.

_“She was right here! For years, she was here. Right in front of us. In our home and we didn’t—we didn’t question it. Why didn’t we ask questions?!”_

Ginny couldn’t even begin to image the pain her mother was feeling. “It’s not your fault. Someone lied. They tricked you. You had no reason to believe Nikki was your long thought dead daughter.” Worried her mother may be having a panic attacked, she asked. “Mom, is Kevin there? Is he with you? You have to try to calm down.”

The man in question returned home from a last minute store run just as Ginny was asking for him. Seeing his fiancé hysterically crying, he gently took her in his arms and pried the phone from her hand. _“Who is this?”_

Ginny never thought she’d be so happy to hear his voice. “Thank goodness. Kevin, it’s Ginny. I just told my mother that my sister, the one she thought had died shortly after birth is still alive.”

Kevin didn’t think he heard right. “Can you repeat that?”

“You heard me. My sister is alive and will be in California in the next day or so. Look, it’s a long story and I know you had plans, but—“

“I’ll call you back to let you know when we’re arriving.” he snapped. “I have to try to calm Janet and Ginny…next time you have some life altering news to impart, try to save it for when you see the person face to face. There’s no telling what could have happened had I not returned.”

Before she could respond, he hung up on her. “What a fuckin’ asshole!”

 

 

A couple hours later, Ginny was at Mike’s house lounging on his sofa while he made her an early lunch. She was looking for something to watch on Netflix when Kevin called to let her know they would be in San Diego on Sunday afternoon. Ginny was pissed he called and not her mother, but didn’t say anything. Instead she let him know that she reserved a room for them and would send the details to her mother in an email.

Mike plated their sandwiches and carried them to his girlfriend. “Kevin?”

Ginny nodded. “They’ll be here Sunday afternoon.”

Trying to keep things in perspective, Mike said “Babe, your mom just received some shocking news. You should try to cut her some slack.”

She stared at him. “I’m trying, Mike, I really am. This is a shit situation for everyone involved, especially my mom. I just hope Kevin doesn’t try to insinuate himself into this mess. His only job will be to sit there and support my mom.”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Mike soothed.

“Yeah, we all hope.” Ginny sighed before leaning back into him. “Thanks for lunch. You take such good care of me.”

Kissing her temple, he replied. “Anytime, sweetheart. I love taking care of you.”

 

 

Saturday afternoon, Evelyn was getting her pineapple upside cake ready for travel when her husband came into the kitchen. “Looks good.”

“Thank you, babe. Ginny’s been feeling down the last couple days so I wanted to cheer her up.” She explained. “I’m surprised Mike agreed to move the annual gathering to his house.”

Blip wrapped his arm around her from behind. “Honestly, I think he forgot about it, but when Voorhies announced that his basement flooded, Mike jumped at the chance to host. You’re right, something’s been bothering Ginny. Mike knows what it is so at least she’s talking to someone. I think he volunteered because she’s comfortable at his house and guarantees her attendance, plus he’s probably hoping it will help put her in a better mood.”

“Being around the team and getting to know the wives and girlfriends will be good for her. If all else fails, she loves kids so they’ll provide entertainment for her.” Evelyn tells him.

“And if that doesn’t work, she can hide upstairs until she feels up to joining the fun.” Blip added. “I think she’ll enjoy herself though.”

Evelyn, thinking about her conversation with Ginny the previous weekend, wasn’t so sure. She and Ginny haven’t had time to chat lately so she didn’t know what happened with Nikki, but she reasoned the other woman had something to do with Ginny’s sour mood.

“Let the boys it’s time to go.”

“Alright.” Blipped agreed. “Put everything by the door. We’ll load up the car.”

“I sure will.” she replied.

Evelyn just finished placing her purse by the door when her phone rang. Not recognizing the number, Evelyn curiously answered. “Hello.”

_“Is this Evelyn Sanders?”_ the feminine voice asked.

Thinking it was some groupie that somehow got her number, she coldly said. “Who is this?”

_“My name is Nikki Taylor. I’m Ginny Baker’s friend.”_

“Oh, Nikki. Ginny told me about you. Girl, you almost got cussed out. I thought you was one of my husband’s groupies.” Evelyn told her.

Nikki laughed lightly. _“It’s okay. I’m sorry to call you like this, but I’m in town earlier than expected and wanted to surprise Ginny.”_

“Oh my goodness. She’d love that. I know she’s been looking forward to seeing you.” Evelyn exclaimed. “Where are you? Do you need us to pick you up from the airport?”

_“No, no. I have a rental. If you could just tell me where to find her, that’ll be great.”_ Nikki explained.

“Oh, she’s going to be at Mike’s house.” Evelyn wasn’t sure how much Nikki knew about Ginny and Mike’s relationship so kept quiet about that part. “He’s hosting the Padres annual gathering. We’re actually on our way there.”

_“Oh. Um, okay. I’m not sure my surprising her there with her team would be a good idea.”_ Nikki tells her.

Evelyn walked back toward the kitchen when she heard her guys coming down the stairs. Quietly, she said “Because of how you two look alike and could be sisters?”

Nikki wasn’t surprised Ginny talked to Evelyn about her, but Evelyn’s comment confirmed that Ginny didn’t tell her they were sisters yet. _“Yeah. I mean, she knew I was coming and she wasn’t going to hide me, but I don’t know.”_

“If that’s true then it shouldn’t be a problem. She’ll be surprised, but the team’s been good for her and to her. We’re family. It should be okay. Plus, Gin’s been in a funk lately. You showing up will only help.” Evelyn tries to convince the other woman. “And you don’t have to worry about someone outside the team or the WAGs finding out about you until Ginny is ready.”

_“Well, okay. If you think so.”_ Nikki lets herself be talked into it. _“What is the address?”_

“Is this your cell phone?” Hearing an affirmative, she says “I’ll text it to you. Text me when you arrive and I’ll come out and get you.”

_“Okay. I appreciate this. And thank you for being such a good friend to Ginny.”_ Nikki gratefully tells the other woman.

“It’s been my pleasure. I’ll see you soon.” Evelyn says before ending the call.

“Babe, let’s go.” Blip says when he comes back in the house to get the last bag. “Who was on the phone?”

“Ginny. She wanted to make sure we stopped for her grape soda. She thinks Mike purposely forgot to get it.” Evelyn explains. She didn’t lie. Ginny did call, but that was early this morning. “Ready?”

“I am. Go on, I’ll set the alarm and lock up.” she pushed it out the door.

 

 

Two hours had passed and the party was in full swing. Most of the team turned out, many with families or current girlfriends. Several kids were running around. Best of all, Ginny finally looked like she was having a good time.

Mike covered the pool to ward off any accidents. The kids knew better than to go in unattended, but Mike knew his attention would be on Ginny more than anything else and wasn’t comfortable with pool activities when alcohol was being served and his attention was 100%.

Evelyn was so proud of herself. She hadn’t given even a hint of her excitement over Nikki’s surprise arrival. She assumed Nikki flew into LAX so she should be arriving any time. She’d been sitting at one of the table out back with Ginny and Salvamini’s wife laughing at a dugout story Ginny just told when her phone vibrated. Looking down, Evelyn says “Excuse me. I have to take this.”

She started walking toward the side entrance that led to Mike’s massive drive way. “Ev, where you going?” Blip raised his voice loud enough to hear over all the conversations and kids yelling.

“I left my lip gloss in the car.” she quickly answered before ducking out the door.

No one thought anything of her explanation except Blip who frowned.

Seeing the look on his friend’s face, Mike asked “What?”

“I saw her put the lip gloss in her bag before getting out the car.”

“Maybe she can’t find it. Her bag is the size of carry-on luggage. I’m surprised she finds anything in that monstrosity.” Mike jokes.

“Hey, that’s my wife you’re talking about.” Blips smacks Mike on the head.

“Watch the hair.” Mike quips.

Ginny sees the exchange and call out “Boys, no hitting. Now apologize to each and hug it out.”

Laughter rang out as the men did what they were told. A few people caught the wink Mike sent in Ginny direction, but just assumed it was part of their special bond.

 

 

Meanwhile, Evelyn quickly jogged down the driveway to the gate. Pushing the button to open the gate, she waited while a black Ford Mustang pulled in. She was practical bouncing in place waiting for the door to open. When it did and the woman known as Nikki climbed out, Evelyn’s jaw dropped. “Holy shit! Nikki?!”

“Hey.” Nikki confirmed.

“Holy fucking shit! Nikki—I can’t. Wow. Just…wow. It’s true, isn’t it. You’re sisters.”

Nikki could help it, she laughed. “You see why it might be a little bit of a shock?”

Evelyn nodded, mouth still hanging open.

“Close your mouth, sweetie, before you catch flies.” Nikki quipped.

Evelyn’s mouth snapped shut. She slowly walked closer to the other woman then circled her. Shaking her head, she says “I can’t believe. You look just like her. I mean, there are differences. The glasses which are a good look by the way. Your hair is wavy versus curly which Gin prefers and you’re about an inch or two shorter, but I’m telling you. Lose the glasses, wet your hair and at a quick glance, someone can mistake you for Ginny. Dayum, girl.”

Nikki reached into the car and grabbed her messenger bag. Putting it over head, she pushed the bag toward her back. “Which is why I’m really thinking this might be a bad idea. She hasn’t seen me, Evelyn.”

Evelyn looped her arm around Nikki’s. “It’ll be okay. I promise.” By this time, they were at the door that would take them to where Ginny was.

Nikki extracted her arm from Evelyn’s. Nervously smoothing her hand down imaginary wrinkles, she looked at the other woman. “Do I look okay?”

Evelyn smiled. She took in the fitted graphic tee that stopped just shy of her jeans. She could see a glint of gold from a navel ring peeking out. The dark blue jeans hung snuggly on her slim hips and draped over the blue on white Nike trainers. “You look perfect. Ready?”

She nodded curtly. “Let’s do this.”

Evelyn pushed the door open. “Follow me.”

 

 

Blip spotted Evelyn as soon as she came through the door then caught movement behind her. “Who’s that with Evie?”

Mike glanced over just as Evelyn step to the side. “Holy shit!”

Blip jaw dropped. He was speechless.

“Ginny.” Evelyn called out.

The woman in question was standing a few feet from Mike and Blip going over game rules to play football with the kids. “Yeah.” she didn’t turn around.

“Ginny.” Mike said her name.

She didn’t notice the noise starting to die down, but she did hear the shift in her boyfriend’s voice. Frowning, she turned in his direction. “You okay, old man?”

“Turn around.” he told her as Evelyn says, “Ginny, someone came by to see you.”

Ginny turned toward her friends voice and froze.

“Hey, Gin.” Nikki greeted. This is the closest they’ve been to each other in over so many years.

“Nikki.” Ginny whispered.

Everyone, even the kids somehow knew that something monumental was happening. Shocked silence engulfed the yard. It took Gabe, one of the Sander’s boys to break the silence. “Aunt Ginny. She looks just like you"

Ginny’s usual resolve to remain emotionless in public broke. Both hands came up to cover her face and the tears that spilled over. Nikki’s hand flew to her mouth in an attempt to stop a sob from escaping. Both women let their hands fall and took a moment to just take the other’s presence in before crossing the distance that separated them, practically throwing themselves into each other’s arms.

Evelyn made her way over to Blip who pulled her to his side. “You did good, babe.”

“Yeah, I did, didn’t I.”

“How?” Mike wanted to know. He was ecstatic for his girl. She went through every emotion imaginable since the sister reveal. In the end, he knew she was overjoyed at finding out that her best friend growing up was actually her sister.   There was the question of how and why to be answered, but that would come.

Seeing they were calming down, he gently touched Ginny’s shoulder. “Hey. You want to make introductions.”

Both women laughed, happy to finally be together again.

“Wow. They even have the same laugh.” Salvamini’s wife announced.

Sonny’s longtime girlfriend handed them tissue. Ginny thanked her as Nikki removed her glasses to wipe her eyes.

“They’re like, twins!” Knobles shouted.

Nikki and Ginny giggled.

“Actually, she’s older.” Ginny corrects him. “By eleven months.”

Ginny pulls Nikki into a side hug. The height difference was more noticeable now. “Everyone, this is my sister Nikki. Nikki, this is everyone.”

“Hi everyone.” She waved and so began the introductions. Each team member came over to introduce themselves.

While that was happening, Mike took the opportunity to sidle up next to Ginny, close enough that their arms were brushing. “So, how are you doing?” he murmured.

She leaned into him, allowing herself to take the comfort and love he was silently offering. Thinking on it, she finally says “I had no idea I would feel this way.”

Not caring what anyone might say, Mike puts his arm around her. He figured, anyone looking would think he was providing comfort to his teammate during this emotional time. “What way?” He rests his cheek on top of her head when she rests it on his shoulder.

“Complete.”

It was as if Nikki heard what was said because she looked over her shoulder at the couple and smiled. She finished meeting everyone and joined Ginny and Mike; Evelyn and Blip also walked over to the small group.

“Nikki.” Ginny moved over to the other woman’s side. “You’ve already met Evelyn since she’s a sneaky sneak and was part of the surprise. This is her husband Blip.”

They shook hands. “It’s nice to finally meet you Blip. Ginny talks about you a lot. Thank you for looking out for her. You’re a good friend and it made me feel better knowing you were in her corner.”

“It was my pleasure. Now that you’re here, I hope that we can get to know you and extend that friendship to you.” Blip happily told her.

“And this is Mike.” Ginny shyly announces.

Catching the tone in Ginny’s voice and the look in Mike’s eyes when she said it, Nikki grinned slyly. “Mike Lawson. It’s good to finally meet you. You’ve been the topic of our conversations many a time.”

“I hope it wasn’t all bad.” Mike smirks.

“Not all.” she smiles sweetly.

Ginny takes Nikki’s hand. “Are you hungry?”

Nikki turns her attention back to Ginny. “Yes, please. I’m starving. I was too nervous to eat.”

Ginny pulls her toward the nearby table the food was set up on. Mike, Blip and Evelyn watched the women fill their plates. Mike guffawed at how Nikki’s plate mimicked Ginny’s in the amount of food piled on. “I guess that’s one thing they have in common. Their stomachs are bottomless pits.”

Evelyn and Blip agreed wholeheartedly.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nikki's story

 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want us to help clean up?” Nikki asked Mike as she looked around at the mess left behind by the party goers. The Sanders and newly united Baker sister were the last leave. “I feel weird leaving you to clean this up on your own.”

“Don’t.” Evelyn spoke up before Mike could answer. “He has cleaners coming in the morning to take care of the mess.”

Nikki nodded in understanding and said “Okay.”

Ginny and Mike were paired up on the sofa, Ginny’s hand softly caressing his hair and neck. “You have to be tired, Nik. Are you ready to head over to the hotel?”

“I am tired, but how are we going to get me in without anyone seeing me? I assume you don’t want me seen, at least until Mrs. B sees me first. Plus, there’s your agent and the Padres front office.” Nikki pointed out.

“Nikki’s right, babe. There’s always one or two paps covering all the entrances to the Omni. You’ll definitely draw attention if you show up with someone that looks just like you.” Mike told her.

“I can wear my hat-“ Nikki suggested.

“That won’t work. You’re slightly more curvy, but like I said earlier-“ Evelyn offered.

“At a quick glance, someone can mistake me for Gin.” Nikki finished. She dropped into the chair across from her sister. “It’s one of the reasons I’ve practically gone sight unseen since you got called up.”

Mike leaned forward, his elbows resting on his thighs. “About that. What’s your story? I mean, Ginny told me what she could, but there’s a lot of holes that need to be filled in.”

Nikki looked at Ginny for confirmation, but the younger woman shook her head. “It’s late and Nik is tired. As much as I want to know, I think it would make more sense to wait until tomorrow. My mom and Will will be here. Amelia and I arranged to meet Oscar, Charlie and Al at Petco at 4 o’clock. Amelia didn’t want to wait until Monday and I agreed. The front office is informed, Nikki tells her story, we control the narrative.”

Mike smiled at his girlfriend. “I love it when you take control.”

Ginny leaned in and gave him a tender kiss before turning back to the room. “Blip, Ev, you two are welcome to join us.”

Nikki was happy that they finally got their shit together, but wasn’t really comfortable with the idea of laying herself bare in front of a room full of people she didn’t know. “Gin, I appreciate that you want to get in front of the drama I bring—“

Ginny, showing a side the others rarely saw, bristled. “I’m sorry Nikki, but you don’t have a choice.”

The other woman’s eyebrow shot up. “Excuse me.”

Mike, Blip and Evelyn looked at each other in shock. Confrontational Ginny was a rare sighting.

Ginny pulled completely from Mike and scooted to the edge of the sofa. “What did you think would happen when you came here? We spoke at length about what your presence would bring. You said you understood that if we were sisters, there’d be questions and your life would come under scrutiny with anyone who has a stake in my career and with the media. You said and I quote _‘Don’t worry Gin, you’re my family. Even if it turns out we aren’t sisters, I value our friendship and you’re worth it.’_ Did you not say that?”

Nikki drew back at the angry words, but recovered quickly. “I know what I said and I meant it. All I was saying was—“

Ginny didn’t know why she was so angry, she just was. She truly understood Nikki’s hesitancy, but at that moment she didn’t care. “Either you want in my life and all that comes with it or not. I don’t have time for the games anymore. I didn’t push when you said you couldn’t tell me things. We’ve been in contact for almost a year and today is the first time I’ve laid eyes on you, Nikki. You told me to trust you and I did. Now it’s time for you to put your trust in me. To believe I know what I’m doing and you’re giving me shit. What do you want from me?!” Her voice steadily rose during her rant until she stood and shouted the last part.

The others in the room were stunned at how quickly the conversation got out of control. Mike stood and gently rubbed Ginny’s back. “Gin, sweetheart, you gotta calm down. The boys are upstairs.”

Blip stood, giving Evelyn a _‘tell me everything I miss’_ look and she nodded. “I’ll go check on them.” He hurried upstairs.

Ginny was breathing heavily, her eyes locked with Nikki’s, who slowly stood up. They could practically feel the sadness she exuded. “The funny thing is…you’re the _only_ person I trust. I don’t have anyone else, Ginny, not really. I haven’t in a very long time. I wanted to tell you everything, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t allowed, okay? It took me years to convince them to let me call you and was only allowed to after you were almost killed.”

Ginny gasped. Evelyn’s widened in shock.

Mike frowned. “Wait—What? Is Ginny in danger?

Nikki eyes watered. “Not any more. Look, I get it Gin, I do. But at least you had your parents and Will. Then Amelia. Blip and Evelyn. Those precious boys upstairs. Now Mike. The people who raised me, my adoptive parents died two months after we left Tarboro. A car accident or so I thought. For a year, I bounced from one foster home to another until the person who killed them, came after me. I was shipped to Chicago, they caught the supposed bad guys and we thought I was in the clear. I was going to contact you then, but the people helping me were wrong. There was still someone out there trying to get at me.” She let out a sarcastic laugh. “So, what was their plan? Fake my death.”

She walked to the kitchen counter where the alcohol was deposited after the party broke up. Serving herself a shot of tequila, she gulped it down in one swig. She looked to the stairwell to see Blip returning. “The boys fell asleep.”

Evelyn quietly responded “Okay.” while he retook his seat next to her. He could tell he walked in on something intense. Evelyn squeezed his hand, letting him know to not say anything.

Mike encouraged a silently crying Ginny to sit down. They waited for Nikki to continue.

The woman in question kept her back to the group as she continued. “This time, they sent me to Virginia. I was pissed, rebellious and had too much time on my hands so I started hacking into computers. Specifically, I took great pleasure in trying to break into government systems. It didn’t take long for me to get noticed; I wasn’t really trying to hide. My handler was good to me, though. He was a family guy and sympathized with my circumstances so when I hacked into the FBI payroll system and swapped the director’s salary with the mailroom clerk’s, he somehow convinced them to hire me instead of putting me in jail.”

She picked up the bottle, five shot glasses and joined the group around the coffee table. After unloading her bounty, she filled the glasses. Taking hers she sat back in her chair. “After you were scouted, your face started popping up more and more on the internet. I warned them. Told them you could be in danger. That we looked too much alike. They didn’t listen. Said everything was quiet. I wasn’t convinced and kept a close eye on you, just in case. At the same time, I used all the resources at my disposal to try to track down and expose the person or persons after me.”

While Nikki told part of her story, the others took advantage of the tequila. The men kept it to a one drink minimum since Blip was driving and Mike wanted a clear head so he could support his girl. Evelyn limited herself to three at the most as she wanted to be able to take in all the information being thrown at them. Ginny was so upset, she just wanted to, but didn’t drink directly from the bottle.

“I learned much later that there was an uncle I didn’t know about. He wanted my inheritance and for him to get it, I had to die.” Nikki growled.

“Wait, why didn’t he just take you in and ask for it?” Mike asked, confused. “You were grieving and looking for a place to belong. Wouldn’t it have been easier for him to be that person?”

Ginny and the others agreed.

“Sure, if my parent’s wills didn’t explicitly state that he was not to be allowed anywhere near me or the money. The only way he was going to get it was if I was no longer around.”

“But why?” Ginny wanted to know. “Why would he do that? As far as he knew, it was just you two left, right?”

“He was a grifter. A liar. A cheat. He had a drug problem. Gambling problem. He in debt for a lot of money to some really bad people.” Nikki explained. “All the time that the Marshalls and FBI thought it was some mob association or international group after me, it was him and his merry band of conspirators.”

“I’m confused.” Blip stated. “How much money did he owe to have killed his own—“ he paused.

“Sister and brother-in-law” Nikki provided.

“Yeah. From what Ginny says, you were the average family. Mom and dad worked regular jobs and lived in a small house across town. Was it a life insurance policy he was after?” Evelyn added.

Nikki chuckled humorlessly. “They lived simple lives, but invested their savings aggressively. They were worth millions at the time of their deaths.”

“Well, at least no one can say you’re after my money.” Ginny shrugged.

Taking another drink, Nikki replied, “Nope. My net worth is in the high forties.”

“Well, shit. I can see why he would want you out the way.” Ginny joked. “Money is a hell of a motivator.

“So what happened?” Mike asked, wanted to hear the rest of the story.

“Nothing happened for a while. During that time, I went through the bureau training and honed my skills. I couldn’t go out in the field, but I did spend a lot of time in vans or small, non-descript rooms. When I had to focus all my attention on a job, I had a friend on call to let me know if something pinged regarding your safety. Then one day, about four years later, I was in London when I received a call that you were hospitalized for food poisoning. I freaked.”

Ginny frowned. “I remember that. I had eaten some bad seafood and was in a lot of pain. The non-narcotic drugs weren’t helping.”

Nikki expression was blank. “Right so they prescribed morphine.”

“But, I’m allergic to morphine.” Ginny murmured, grabbing Mike’s hand.

“I know.” Nikki confirmed then expounded for the others. “You see, Ginny broke her arm when she was twelve. She was in excruciating pain and they ended up giving her morphine. Almost right away, she started having a reaction to it. Minutes later, she couldn’t breathe. It was very scary. It could have been a mistake, but you were conscious when you got there. It was no way you didn’t inform them of the allergy. I searched and found the original note prescribing fentanyl, not morphine.”

“Son of a bitch!” Mike snarled.

It was Ginny’s turn to comfort Mike. “It’s okay, baby. I’m okay.” Ginny stroked down his face, her fingers scratching through his beard.

Instantly, Mike calmed, nuzzling into her hand. “It was too close. I would have never known what it was like to love you.”

Ginny’s insides melted at his proclamation. Evelyn smiled. Nikki awed. Blip rolled his eyes fondly.

Without breaking eye contact with Mike, Ginny gestured for Nikki to continue.

“I called my ex-handler and explained what happened. He said it was likely that they were using you as bait. He promised to talk to his superiors and was going to make plans to place you in protective custody if need be. I was livid. While I was making plans to run, a friend analyzed the traces of code left behind in the hospital computer system and got a hit. Further investigation led us to my so-called uncle and finding out that the reason why there was no movement for so long was because he had gotten caught running a scam and someone died; he spent four years in jail.”

“Jesus.” Blip exclaimed. “It’s like a damn soap opera.”

“Except it’s real. It’s my life and it fuckin’ sucked.” No real heat was in Nikki’s words.

Ginny stood and went to her sister. Squeezing into the chair with her, she wrapped her arms around the other woman in a warm hug. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

Resting her head against Ginny’s, Nikki replied. “I know it wasn’t easy for you. I’m sorry I had to keep things from you.”

“I assume that since you’re here, everything is fine? Uncle is no longer a threat?” Evelyn asked.

“Killed two months ago. There were some agents I worked with regularly. I told them I needed help apprehending a suspect. They didn’t know all my history, but knew there was something that kept me closed off from everyone. They helped, no questions asked. Using the information from the hospital and their leg work, I tracked his location and they went to get him. He decided to go out in a blaze of stupidity and I happily did a two-step on his pauper’s grave.”

Ginny pulled her closer. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m glad _you’re_ okay. I would have been devastated if my craziness caused you harm.” Nikki sighed. “I had a couple of jobs to work before I could start preparing move here.  I was out of contact last week because I was fighting for my freedom. There were meetings and debriefings and more meetings. The powers that be at the bureau wanted to hold me to my contract and threatened to put me in jail for the multiple system intrusions I committed back in the day.”

“What?!” Ginny exclaimed.

“Yeah, it was getting ugly. The emergency number I gave you was for my ex-handler. If I didn’t call you by Friday, an encrypted email would have been sent to Mike telling him you needed to be present when the link I provided was clicked as you were the only one with the passcode. The link that would have opened a folder on my then private server. The folder contained all the information you would have needed to access my laptop and accounts. Luckily, I was able to quickly get in touch with the law firm that represent my estate and they sent someone out to help.”

“So that’s it?” Ginny asked. “It’s over?”

“Besides finding out how I ended up adopted, that’s it. I have a clean slate.” Nikki replied.

“Mom should be able to fill is some gaps. We’ll figure it out.” Ginny told her.

“In the meantime, we still haven’t come up with a way to get you into the hotel without being spotted.” Blip added, getting them back to how this whole tale started.

“Simple.” Mike chimed in. “They’ll stay here.”

“What about mom and Will?” Ginny tossed out. “They should be here around 3PM. I guess I can have Will bring them to Petco.”

“And Kevin.” Nikki says. “I know you want to forget about him, but I think he’s around for the long haul, hun.”

“Ughh. You know he hung up on me? Made me out to be the bad guy because Mom insisted I tell her about you over the phone.”

Nikki lifted her head off Ginny’s shoulder and looked at her incredulously. “Are you serious?”

“Yup.” Emphasizing the ‘p’ with a pop.

“Asshole.” Nikki groaned

“It’s going to be an interesting day tomorrow.” Evelyn declared. “I can’t wait.”

“Yeah.”

Ginny heard Nikki’s sigh. “You don’t have to give all the details. Just the highlights and ensure the front office that there won’t be any scandal-like news that makes me or the team look bad. I really don’t want to be the center of the drama again.” Ginny just wanted to play ball and fly under the radar. She’s hoping this new development is just a blurb and the media moves on quickly.

“I can do that.” Nikki let her know. “I’ll give Mrs. B and Will details if they ask. It’ll be good to see them again. I know it’s going to be an adjustment for everyone, but I’m hoping we can take things slow and build off the relationship we had before I moved away.”

 

Realizing that the storytelling part of the evening was over, Evelyn and Blip decided it was time to head home. “I’ll go up and wake the monsters.” Blip let his wife know.

“Thanks, babe.” Evelyn responded.

While he was gone, Ginny asked Mike “Are you sure it’s okay for us to stay?”

He smirked. “Are you kidding, Rookie? Of course. I don’t get to wake up in with you in my arms often enough.”

“Jeez, can you get any sappier?” Evelyn laughed.

“Right? Seriously, we get it, you’re in love. Which, by the way…Yay! Soo excited for you. You both deserve to have good things.” Nikki cheered. “I’m not going to give you the shovel talk, Mike. What I will say is I am a licensed gun carrier.”

Her devilish grin had Ginny cracking up. “Okay, no threatening my honey bunny.”

Evelyn and Nikki burst out laughing at the nickname and the look on Mike’s face when he heard it. “Dude, that one is so going to stick. You are now and forever more known as Honey Bunny.”

Ginny cackled.

“Or HB if we’re being nice and don’t want to embarrass the hell out of you!” Evelyn giggled as she stood since her guys were slowly making their way down the stairs.”

Mike stood and threw one of the small pillows at giggling sisters. “Just for that, no beds for you. You two find somewhere to sleep amongst the mess down here.”

Ginny continued to laugh while watching her boyfriend walk upstairs, pouting the whole way. “Aww, babe. I’m sorry for laughing at you. Come back.”

Mike looked over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out. “Don’t forget to set the alarm.”

Nikki doubled over, trying to stop the laughter. “Gin, HB just benched you.”

Ginny jumped out the chair and smacked her arm as she followed the Sanders to the door. “Goodnight you two. Gabe and Marcus, I owe you a beat down in Mario Kart.”

“Okay, Aunt Ginny.” they tiredly answered.

“Goodnight, sweetie.” Evelyn gave her a hug followed by Blip. “Goodnight, Nikki. See you tomorrow.” They both said before leaving.

Ginny locked the door and was going to set the alarm when Nikki yelled “Wait. I have to go to my car and grab my bag.” She stood and stumbled a little from all the tequila she drank in such a short time. “Whoa.” Steadying herself, she quickly walked by Ginny out the door. A minute later, she was back with her carry on.

 

Ginny successfully set the alarm and started turning off lights. “Come on. I’ll show you the guest room.”

They went upstairs and Ginny led Nikki to a room down the hall from the master suite. “Here you go. There’s a full bath and should be clean towels and extra toiletries if needed.” She pulled the other woman into a hug. “I’m happy you’re here.”

Nikki hugged her back tightly. “Me too. I really missed you, Gin.”

“I missed you too Nik.” Ginny softly replied. “Get some rest.”

“Okay.” Pulling back, she said “And please try to keep it down with the naked shenanigans.” she winked.

Ginny grinned. “Naw. It’s not like that. Yet. Just cuddling.”

Nikki’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline. “What?! You haven’t jumped his old man bones yet?”

“Shut up. We’re taking things slow.”

“Wow, okay. Good luck with that.” Nikki says cheekily.

“Goodnight, Nikki.”

“Goodnight, Ginny.” she replies, then shouts “Goodnight Honey Bunny!”

“Fuck you, Nikki!” was his loud response.

Both women snickered and Ginny just knew Mike was smiling the whole time.

 

 


End file.
